Filchneria irani (Aubert, 1964)

Figs. 16–22

Aubert, 1964: 79, figs 32–34 ( Perlodes (Skobeleva) irani). Holotype and paratype are stored in ethanol and deposited in MZL; lllies, 1966: 389 ( Skobeleva irani); Zwick, 1973: 229 ( Filchneria irani); Sartori et al., 1990: 170 ( Filchneria irani); Zwick, 1997: 495, fig. 7d ( Filchneria irani); Mohammadian, 2008: 113–115, ( Perlodes(Skobeleva) irani).

Diagnosis. The male of F. irani is distinguished by the shape of the posterior margin of tergum 10, which is slightly elevated and its top smoothly rounded; the paraproctal sclerite is triangular and heavily sclerotized basally and along the outer edge, sclerotization narrowed distally, and indistinct at the apex. The female has a wide and short subgenital plate, its posterior margin slightly serrated; the lobes are poorly expressed, each lateral edge bears a small rounded protrusion directed to the side.

Complementary description. Adult habitus. Color pattern of male and female on the head and pronotum is similar(Figs. 16,17, 20).Head is brown with pale spots.Most parts of clypeus are covered with a semicircular brownish spot; anterior edge, paired small spots on lateral clypeal margins near M-line bases, and small butterfly-shaped spot in front of anterior ocellus are pale. M-line brown, interocellar area brown, with a rather narrow longitudinal pale stripe slightly widened posteriorly. Occiput with transverse pale band extends along the epicranial stem and compound eyes (Figs. 16, 17, 20); a narrow and short black band surrounds each compound eye posterolaterally. Pronotum brown with pale median band widened posteriorly, anterior corners bear small pale spots, the pronotal rugosities are dark brown, sometimes indistinct (Figs. 17, 20).

Male. Holotype. Brachypterous, wings not exceeding tergum 2 (Fig. 16). Coloration of abdominal terga corresponds to original description: large, yellowish quadrangular spot on sides of brown median line of terga 1–7 (Fig. 16). Dark medial line is obscured on terga 8–9, tergum 10 entirely yellowish. Tergum 7 bears two patches of sensilla basiconica on sides of dark medial line posteriorly; tergum 8 densely covered by sensilla basiconica posteromedially; the sensilla basiconica are also present on tergum 9, but they are solitary and scattered closer to the posterior tergal margin (Fig. 18). Posterior margin of tergum 10 slightly elevated, top smoothly rounded, dorsal surfaces covered with sensilla basiconica in the middle (Figs. 18, 19). Paraproct is triangular, wide at the base and narrowed to the apex. The paraproctal sclerite triangular, heavily sclerotized basally and along outer edge, narrowed to the apex, and indistinct; sclerotization along outer sclerite edge serrated, (Fig. 19); inner edge of paraproct is pale and membranous distally.

Female. Paratype. Macropterous. Sternum 8 is dark brown in the anteromedian half, bears a pair of oblique, dark brown lateral sclerites surrounding a subgenital plate anterolaterally (Fig. 21). Subgenital plate wide and short, covering about one third of sternum 9; the posterior margin with a slight notch in the middle; the lobes are poorly expressed, enclosed with tiny, brown setae; each lobe at the lateral edge with a small, rounded, lateral protrusion, posterior half of subgenital plate brownish (Fig. 21). Sternum 9 is pale medially, with pair of rounded dark brown spots laterally extending to curve brown bands directed upward under the subgenital plate (Fig. 21). Sternum 10 pale with two small brown spots laterally. Paraprocts are triangular in shape, rounded at the apex.

Egg. According to P. Zwick (1997) the egg measures 430×300 μm. Egg has almost parallel lateral margins before anterior pole, the anterior pole is arcuate, posterior one truncated, pedicel very short, the anchor plate flat, pan-shaped (Fig. 22). The chorion is not distinctive.

Material examined. Holotype male, paratype female: Iran, prov. Ostan, Chaîne de l'Elbourz, Polur, 2800 m, 10.V. 1956. F. Schmid leg. (MZL).

Distribution. Filchneria irani was collected by F. Schmid in northern Iran (Aubert 1964), in Polur village which is situated on the Haraz River in Mazandaran Province. The Haraz River originates from the east slope of Mount Damavand (5610 m asl), Central Elburz (Alborz) Mountain Range and flows in a relatively narrow valley into the Caspian Sea. Schmid has collected material until altitude 2800 m asl. This is the only record of F. irani, an apparently rare species, which is considered an endemic of the Elburz Mountains (Mohammadian 2008).